Methods of Coping
by Arones
Summary: Set between Kali III and Firewall: Will is still dealing the aftermath of dying and needs some new methods of coping. WRITTEN FOR: Leiriensi


He was a talker, he wanted to talk about what had happened, to look for ways to prevent it from happening again and, so far, that was not going the way he wanted it to. He was wandering the halls aimlessly looking for anyone to talk with. Finally, he moved up the stairs and to the North Tower where he figured she would be. There she was, standing on the parapet with the wind blowing and her dress billowing out. It was a sight that made him stop every time and this night was no different. He called her name and she turned to him, her eyes soft and sad in the night.

He held out his hand and she took it stepping down and suddenly into his embrace. Her arms wrapped around his middle and her face buried in his neck. Will stood stunned for a moment longer before putting his arms around her back and rubbing softly through the material of her dress. She wasn't crying; she wasn't sobbing; she wasn't even breathing hard. He was utterly confused by her mood. This was not the normal Helen Magnus and with everything that he had just been through, dying and not sleeping for days on end, he had no basis for gaging her actions. She wasn't yelling, she wasn't prescribing, or looking to him for answers. She was simply just being held by him and it was the oddest thing that Will had ever experienced.

This woman was strong, she was independent, and she never relied on others. He had never seen her do this, not even after her daughter had died had she sought physical comfort. Will held her tightly for what seemed like hours but he was sure was only minutes. He stopped moving his hands along her skin when he felt her shiver. "Come on." He pulled at her lightly, keeping one arm around her shoulders when he started to move her inside. She stopped him just inside the door and grasped his cheeks tenderly. Her head pulled back from him so that her eyes could flicker over his face: they lingered on his lips more than once. She brought his face close to hers until their breath mingled through slightly parted lips.

Looking up into his eyes she begged him. Will stood still, his mind working through all that was happening, the way she acting to what she was asking but not asking to what he was feeling and yet not feeling. He didn't know how long had passed, once again he had lost track of time and only came out of it when he felt her lips softly and gently on his. Will was kissing her back before he knew what he was doing. When his mind caught up with his body he jerked back and looked at her with wide and frightened eyes. She murmured his name and tried to bring his mouth back to hers but he resisted.

"Magnus, what are you doing?"

She stopped then, her hands skimming down his arms to hold his hands. "You're tired, Will. You are exhausted and so tense that a sledgehammer couldn't break the knots in your back. You need to rest."

"And this is your solution? Fuck me into oblivion?" He tried to shove her off him but she was stronger and frankly, he was exhausted. There was a tussle as he pushed and pulled against her hands and she fought to hang on. She won when he gave up. "I don't want that."

He was looking down at her shoes, her toes as they peeped out of her stilettos were most intriguing at that moment and he gladly kept his eyes there. Magnus waited patiently until his eyes slowly skimmed up her body and back to her face and her lips. She waited until they lingered just long enough. "Kiss me, William."

"Isn't it supposed to be 'Kiss me, Kate'?" He gave her a quirky smile and she sighed heavily.

"If you prefer I find Kate, then I can, however I think she would be less amenable to what I have in mind than I am." She grasped his cheeks again and held his face tightly between her two palms. "I want you to kiss me, William. Don't make me ask again."

"I didn't realize that was asking." Still he hesitated, not moving forward. Helen licked her lips and stepped forward, her body brushing his slightly. She didn't have to step up on her toes: the heels did that nicely for her. Their breath was mingling again and she was biding her time. When she counted ninety seconds in her head she pressed forward and rubbed her lips along his. He didn't move. His back was rim-rod straight, his shoulders tight, and his jaw clenching. This would take more than a simple kiss.

She ran her hands up and down his arms again until she cupped his neck with one hand and her palm was plastered against his back with her other. Will still did not move. She dashed her tongue out against his mouth, licking his lips from corner to corner. She pulled his lower lip into her mouth and scraped her teeth over the soft and wet skin. He sighed and she felt his body inch towards relaxation, his hands coming up to rest on her waist. Pulling back quickly she pressed forward again, rubbing her lips over his with a gentle yet firm force. His fingers kneaded into her sides and she slipped her hands to his chest, carefully keeping the pressure with her lips. She dashed out her tongue again and this time she was rewarded with the parting of his lips.

Slowly, Will started to learn the recesses of her mouth, the taste that was so her that he couldn't breathe under its intoxication. His tongue was swirling against hers, his hand holding her neck in place changing the angle of the embrace when he saw fit. She fiddled with the buttons at his open over-shirt and felt his body move until she was forced to step backward. Sliding into the step she didn't break the embrace keeping their bodies together. The contact was not something that she wanted to loose, she feared he would stop. When the wall was against her back she grinned and kept her hands on his chest.

His lips left and he rested his forehead against hers breathing heavily. His fingers had found their way through the buttons of her dress until he could feel hot skin. She felt his nose press into her cheek when he moved to press a delicate kiss against her skin. Smiling she turned to him and let his mouth wander over hers again, his tongue immediately finding hers. His chest was rising and falling faster each second and she was fully pressed against the wall, his hips hitting hers their bones grinding painfully. She let out a small whimper when he bit her tongue, his hand pressed further up on her waist under her dress, buttons opening as he went, until he reached the edge of her bra. His thumb glided back and forth slowly in a tantalizing pattern.

With head tilted back she felt and reveled in the feel of his mouth wet against her neck. He stopped suddenly and there was a protest on her lips as he looked over her face. The way his eyes roved over her made her stop the words on her tongue. Lust: that was what she saw. Grinning, she pressed lips to his again quickly and pulled back still smiling. He drew in a deep breath through his nose, the sides flaring with the amount of air flowing through. In a split second he was pressing her hard against the wall again, his tongue plunging in and out of her mouth and his nails digging into her soft skin.

Again he was suddenly gone from her and she was left trailing after him. He was laughing at her: full bodied laughing when he saw her draw forward with puckered lips and a lost look on her face. "Seems Kate liked what she got."

She hummed and rested her face in his neck. "Yes, yes I did. Very much so." Her arms were once again wrapped around his middle and he was softly caressing her back. She didn't dash her tongue out like she wanted; instead, she just relaxed and held onto him tight.

The words could have been tentative coming out of his mouth. He had thought about asking, but he didn't want to and he wasn't sure why. "I want you in bed and stripped naked." She felt his cheeks heat up and his entire body followed suit.

Biting her lip to hold back the grin she finally replied. "I believe that can be arranged."

"Good." He shoved her back against the wall again, his mouth on hers and his lips not stopping while she tried to catch the breath that was knocked out of her. Finally able to draw in a deep breath she was pulled forward and walked backwards while he made short work of the buttons on the front of her dress. He had her halfway undressed and they still had two corridors to go. Her shoulder was bare and he bent his head to nibble at the exposed skin.

They made it to an intersection of two corridors when she heard the rustle. Grabbing hold of his shirt, she turned his body to cover hers against the wall. He followed her move and pressed her hard into the stone his lips at her neck. Then he heard it. Pulling back and breathing heavily he listened to the soft and scuffled footfalls as they moved down the corridor. He went to speak but she held a finger to his lips and smiled. The hallway wasn't well-lit where they were standing and Will was very grateful for that fact. Her lips attached themselves to his neck and her fingers were skimming up his shirt. Will tried to pull her hands away without making noise but he was being far less than successful.

His mouth was next to her ear when he whispered her name harshly in a warning. She grinned, but did slow her hands to a smooth brush over his skin. He was thankful and pressed his face into her neck suckling at her skin, his hand on her breast squeezing lightly as the footfalls got closer. All motion stopped when Henry came into his line of sight. The young man had his face buried in a tablet and he was running his hand over it rapidly doing something to whatever program it was running. He stumbled lightly and Will had to bury his head further into his skin to prevent his snort from echoing through the hallways. She was carding fingers through his hair and watched as her employee disappeared down the hallway.

After the moment of intense tension had passed, their eyes locked briefly before he bent down, parting her dress further and pressing his teeth against the top of her breast. He quickly pulled the cup of her bra down and pressed his hand inside to feel the soft skin against his palm. She drew in a ragged breath and leaned back against the wall for support, her stomach doing flip flops and her legs going a little weak. He brought his head further down and flicked his tongue out over her nipple listening for her sigh.

When he heard it, he pulled her skin further into his mouth and sucked hard. He left her skin pink and red with teeth marks in a circle around her areola. She looked down and flashed him a smile before he tugged her towards him and started to walk backwards toward her room again. After they turned the corner he slid the material over her shoulders and watched as the dress fell. Helen caught it with her hand and held it to her waist while he pulled the other cup of her bra down. She was now walking backwards and hit the wall yet again when he lost his attention and started ravishing her other breast. She was breathing hard and soft moans were escaping her lips by the time he left her and closed a hand over her wrist.

His head looked up and around at where they were. Three doors. He only had three more doors and then they would be at her room. Not taking any more time, he pulled her along behind him and made quickly for the door that was now in his sights. He tugged her as soon as he crossed the threshold and slammed the door shut flinging her toward the bed with the force of his movement. He stopped and looked her over, his eyes running up and down her body. Her flushed skin, her chest rising and falling rapidly, her hand holding the dress in place at her hip and her other hand clenched by her side. Her eyes were wide and curious, watching him almost just as he was watching her. "Strip." The word was uttered quietly and she missed it. She didn't move, just stared at his fully clothed form. "Strip Helen. Now."

This time it only took her a second to respond. She moved her hand and fiddled with two buttons on her dress before letting it slide down her legs and to the floor. Stepping of the material she looked back up at him. Reaching behind her to unhook the clasp of her bra she locked eyes with him. He was so far away from her, watching, drinking in the sight before him. His hands were in his pockets, he was rolling back and forth on his heels like nothing was wrong and they were having any ordinary conversation. She brought her arms forward and the straps slid down. She toed off her stilettos and hooked her thumbs in her panties pushing them down and bending with the move until she was fully naked in front of him.

Standing back up she waited. His eyes drank her in once again, skimming over her body, lingering on occasion but always returning to her face. On his third look of her he finally took a step forward, but then he stopped again. His toes dug into the rug at his feet through his shoes and his motion came to a halt. "On the bed." Slowly her head turned and looked behind her. Pushing past her innate need to pick up her clothes and fold them neatly she did turn and step toward her bed. Resting her bum against the mattress she leaned back and lifted herself with hands and slid backwards until she was fully seated. "Lay down."

Once again, she listened and moved until her back was pressed into the cushions. She had a knee bent up, a hand on her stomach and the other pressed above her head. Her face tilted toward him and she watched as he came forward and sat next to her. "Close your eyes Helen." She did as he asked and counted the seconds in her head until he dipped down and pressed lips carefully and gently against hers. Drawing in a deep breath, her mouth parted and his tongue entered swirling around. His palm flattened on the covers on the other side of her body supporting his weight, his other elbow pressed along her arm.

She arched her back up and glided her hand from her stomach to his side moving it further up his back into his hair. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers breathing heavily. "No touching, Helen." She bit her lip after moving her hand back to her own body and nodded waiting for him to press against her again. She was not disappointed. He moved down over her again and was scraping his teeth against her lower lip pulling it from between her teeth and into his mouth. She moaned into him, her back arching slightly again. Will moved his hand from near her head down her chest and over her breast to her abdomen. He gripped her tightly and pulled back with a grin on his face.

"Are you cold?" He had felt the shiver run up her body when he slipped away from her. His eyes became concerned.

Swallowing hard she took a breath to answer. "No, not at all."

"Good." Leaning down he pressed soft and wet lips to each of her cheeks and then her forehead before moving to her neck again and lingering there. "Because I want you hot and flushed." She shuddered again and drew in a sudden breath as the pink color spread on her chest from her cheeks.

"That shouldn't be hard to accomplish." She took a quick breath when his hand trailed downward and over her mound before stroking back up the outside of her leg and pressing once again to the place it had just left on her abdomen. He kissed a line down her neck to the tops of her breasts taking her nipple into his mouth again. He didn't move his hand even though he knew she desperately wanted him to. His butt scooted further down on the bed so that he could trial his tongue in lazy circles over her stomach and around her naval. Her stomach was rising and falling with each breath and the flush was creeping further down her body.

Teeth bit into her side and she scrunched down slightly at the sudden feeling. Stretching back out Will moved up her body to whisper in her ear. "Spread your legs." She did as he asked without hesitation and he slipped two fingers into her. She let out a short breath and a long moan, her body tensing and relaxing. It took a moment before she realized that he wasn't moving. His hand was inside her, his eyes locked on her chest but with a faraway expression on his face.

Drawing in a deep breath she wiggled to try and get his attention again. It didn't work. Taking her hand she ran it up his free arm to his cheek and brushed her thumb over his skin. His eyes flickered to her face and he looked lost again. Sighing, she spread her knees further and sat up, pulling him down lightly until their lips could meet. She kissed him quickly. "I know that you're going through a lot, Will. Dying, multiple times no one can expect you to bounce back quickly." She kissed him again and this time he slowly began to reciprocate. "That doesn't change any of this." Her forehead was plastered to his, her back curved and aching from the position she was sitting in, but she didn't dare move. Her fingers massaged the back of his neck. "You need to rest."

He moved toward her then, lips brushing the corner of her mouth. "This is to get me to rest."

"Yes." Her eyes moved over his face. "And to take back what control you can." Nodding he kissed her slowly and then fervently pressing her back into the bed, his fingers moving in and out of her at a regular rhythm. She left a hand at his wrist, but moved her other one back to the bed where she could grab hold of the cloth underneath her as his thumb swished across her clit sending shoots of pleasure throughout her body. His hand was ripped from her body when he felt her clench hard. He kissed her, his face pressing into hers until she could barely breathe.

Suddenly, he was off the bed and stripping himself, his shoes and shirt coming off simultaneously and then his jeans and boxers. He pushed open both her knees and rested down on top of her body pressing gentle and soothing kisses to her breasts before slipping slowly into her. The air caught in her throat. He rolled their bodies so she was rested on top of him, her hair falling over her shoulders and her body on his.

Jerking his hips up, he watched as she moved, her breasts swaying and her breath being forced from her lungs. He gripped her thighs as she started to move on him. Fingers found their way between them until he could play a patterned rhythm on her clit while she rode him. It wasn't long before the knot in the pit of his stomach released and he was spilling into her and she was squeezing him tightly. She took her time, breathing evening out before she rolled and rested against his side. She pulled the blanket at the foot of her bed over their bodies and ran fingers over his body. They quietly laid there for hours and she watched as slumber slowly took over his body.

Two hours passed and he woke with a start, his heart pounding, his chest rising and falling and his muscles tense with fear. She made soothing sounds and ran hands over his body until he was calm again. "A few hours of sleep, not bad." She kissed his cheek. "Did you rest well?"

"Kinda?" He brushed a hand through his own hair and drew in a deep breath.

"Since you slept for a bit, I think I can put you on the mission list for the day." He rolled and pressed against her ridiculously warm body.

"You didn't sleep." His mouth was mumbled as he spoke against her chest. She kissed his temple and sighed. His hand was against her back and his face buried in her neck. Minutes ticked by before he spoke. "Don't ever ask me to do that again."

"To do what again?"

"To die."

She didn't respond, only synched her arms tighter around him. "I can't promise that and I never would." He nodded. "Want to talk about it?"

He shook his head. Had she asked hours before, when their evening began he might have said yes. He might have given into the temptation to tell all to her. But now he was bolstered. He was stronger than he had been before. He had some control in his life and it wasn't all going to hell in a hand-basket.

She dropped a kiss to his head again. "Then sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." He pressed impossibly closer to her. "Oh and Will?"

"Hmmm?"

"Anytime you want to take control like that again? It'll be my pleasure." She felt him chuckle and move up to kiss her again fully on the lips until her body was under his once more.

"Anytime?"

"Anytime." She nodded and waited for him to begin again.


End file.
